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Thomas Bryant (basketball) facts for kids

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Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant WSH Wizards 2022.jpg
Bryant with the Washington Wizards in 2022
No. 3 – Indiana Pacers
Center
Personal information
Born (1997-07-31) July 31, 1997 (age 27)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
High school
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
College Indiana (2015–2017)
NBA Draft 2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42nd overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
Pro career 2017–present
League NBA
Career history
2017–2018 Los Angeles Lakers
2017–2018 South Bay Lakers
2018–2022 Washington Wizards
2022–2023 Los Angeles Lakers
2023 Denver Nuggets
2023–2024 Miami Heat
2024–present Indiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA champion (2023)
  • First-team All NBA G League (2018)
  • NBA G League All-Rookie Team (2018)
  • Third-team All-Big Ten (2016)
  • Big Ten All-Freshman team (2016)
  • McDonald's All-American (2015)
Medals
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold 2013 Uruguay National team

Thomas Jermaine Bryant (born July 31, 1997) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a center for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers from 2015 to 2017. Thomas Bryant was part of the Denver Nuggets team that won the 2023 NBA Finals.

High School Basketball Journey

Thomas Bryant started his high school basketball career at Bishop Kearney. In his second year, he helped his team achieve a 17–8 record. They also won the 2013 New York Class AA Tournament.

After his sophomore year, Bryant moved to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia. As a junior, he averaged nearly 14 points and 13 rebounds per game. He also blocked almost 3 shots per game. During this time, he played for the Team SCAN on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Circuit.

In his senior year, Bryant continued to impress. He averaged over 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game. Many top colleges wanted him to play for them. These included Indiana, Kentucky, Syracuse, and UCLA. He finally chose Indiana. His decision was shown live on ESPN on April 4, 2015.

Bryant was also chosen to play in the McDonald's All-American Game. He scored 9 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in that game.

College Career at Indiana

Thomas Bryant
Bryant playing in 2017

Thomas Bryant had a great start at Indiana. In one game against Creighton, he scored 17 points and had 7 rebounds. He also blocked 4 shots. In an NCAA Tournament game, he scored 19 points against Kentucky.

As a freshman, Bryant averaged 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. After his first year, he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He was also selected for the Third-team All-Big Ten.

Bryant decided to play for Indiana for his sophomore year too. His shooting percentage went down a bit, but he still averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Many experts thought he might be a top pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting with the Lakers (2017–2018)

On June 22, 2017, the Utah Jazz picked Thomas Bryant as the 42nd player in the 2017 NBA draft. Soon after, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He signed his first professional contract with the Lakers on July 30, 2017.

During his time with the Lakers, Bryant often played for their G League team, the South Bay Lakers. The G League is like a minor league for the NBA. After the 2017–18 season, he was named to the All-NBA G League First Team. The Lakers later let Bryant go on June 30, 2018.

Playing for the Washington Wizards (2018–2022)

On July 2, 2018, the Washington Wizards signed Thomas Bryant. He quickly showed his skills.

On December 22, 2018, Bryant had an amazing game against the Phoenix Suns. He scored a career-high 31 points and made all 14 of his shots. This was one of the best shooting performances in NBA history.

On July 7, 2019, Bryant signed a new contract with the Wizards.

Thomas Bryant Wizards (cropped)
Bryant with the Wizards in 2019

Sadly, on January 10, 2021, Bryant suffered a serious injury to his left knee. This injury ended his season early. He had only played ten games that year. He made his return to the court for the Wizards on January 12, 2022.

Back with the Lakers (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Thomas Bryant signed with the Los Angeles Lakers again. On December 18, he made a game-winning dunk against his old team, the Washington Wizards. On January 22, 2023, Bryant tied his career high by scoring 31 points. He also grabbed 14 rebounds in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Winning a Championship with the Denver Nuggets (2023)

On February 9, 2023, Bryant was traded to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets went on to win the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. This win gave Thomas Bryant his first NBA championship!

Time with the Miami Heat (2023–2024)

On July 2, 2023, Bryant signed a contract with the Miami Heat. He re-signed with them on July 3, 2024.

Joining the Indiana Pacers (2024–Present)

On December 15, 2024, Thomas Bryant was traded to the Indiana Pacers.

Career Statistics Overview

These tables show Thomas Bryant's performance in the NBA and college. They include details like points, rebounds, and blocks per game.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 L.A. Lakers 15 0 4.8 .381 .100 .556 1.1 .4 .1 .1 1.5
2018–19 Washington 72 53 20.8 .616 .333 .781 6.3 1.3 .3 .9 10.5
2019–20 Washington 46 36 24.9 .581 .407 .741 7.2 1.8 .5 1.1 13.2
2020–21 Washington 10 10 27.1 .648 .429 .667 6.1 1.5 .4 .8 14.3
2021–22 Washington 27 9 16.3 .520 .286 .875 4.0 .9 .2 .8 7.4
2022–23 L.A. Lakers 41 25 21.4 .654 .440 .741 6.8 .7 .3 .6 12.1
Denver 18 1 11.4 .485 .444 .722 3.3 .1 .1 .4 4.6
2023–24 Miami 38 4 11.6 .577 .182 .872 3.7 .6 .3 .4 5.7
2024–25 Miami 10 0 11.5 .429 .353 1.000 3.2 .4 .1 .9 4.1
Career 277 138 18.3 .593 .355 .773 5.4 1.0 .3 .7 9.3

NBA Play-in Stats

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024 Miami 1 0 4.0 .500 1.000 3.0 .0 .0 .0 4.0
Career 1 0 4.0 .500 1.000 3.0 .0 .0 .0 4.0

NBA Playoffs Stats

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Denver 1 0 .5 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2024 Miami 2 0 8.9 .714 .000 .667 2.5 .5 .0 .0 6.0
Career 3 0 9.1 .714 .000 .667 1.7 .3 .0 .0 4.0

College Stats

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Indiana 35 35 22.6 .683 .333 .706 5.8 1.0 .5 .9 11.9
2016–17 Indiana 34 34 28.1 .519 .383 .730 6.6 1.5 .8 1.5 12.6
Career 69 69 25.3 .592 .373 .718 6.2 1.2 .6 1.2 12.2

See also

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